Economy

 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 31 in Henderson, Nevada.
Dozens of workers labor at a construction site in North Korea as seen from the Chinese city of Dandong on Oct. 7. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
North Korea tensions

North Korea border town sees construction boom after floods

Imports of bricks and cement soar as Kim Jong Un vows to build back better

15 October 2024
Barricades are placed near the Unification Bridge, which leads to Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, on Oct. 14.
International relations

North Korea set to destroy parts of inter-Korean roads, Seoul says

Pyongyang's Kim Jong Un has mines planted on his own side of the border

14 October 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers his address during the 47th ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore Lecture in Singapore on Oct. 9.
Indo-Pacific

South Korea's Yoon offers $100m to 'promote democracy' in Indo-Pacific

President says his country will help digital development, education in ASEAN

9 October 2024
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his first policy speech at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 4. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Japan's new PM

Japan's Ishiba calls for beefed-up defenses in face of regional threats

New PM also vows to seek 'constructive and stable' ties with China in policy speech

4 October 2024
The bridge over the Yalu River connecting North Korea and the Chinese city of Dandong serves as a key trade channel between the two countries. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
North Korea tensions

North Korea's trade with China on track to recovery from floods

August brings improvement in exports, imports over disaster-hit July

19 September 2024
These two satellite photos show the North Korean hamlet prior to the flooding on July 18 and after the disaster on Aug. 14.
Natural disasters

North Korea dismantling flooded farm hamlets, photo evidence shows

Kim's comments hint at building more modern community from scratch

31 August 2024
Kim Jong Un's train stopped just short of flood damage in the northern part of the country. (North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters) 
North Korea tensions

Kim Jong Un surveys damage as floods devastate North Korea trade hub

Disaster-response officials are fired as economy takes massive hit

3 August 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin ride in a car together in Pyongyang on June 19. (KCNA via Kyodo)
Comment

North Korea faces limits of economic boon from Russia 'alliance'

For Moscow, long-term partnership with Pyongyang may have little upside

3 August 2024
The North Korean flag flies at the country's consular office in Dandong, China.
North Korea tensions

North Korea forced labor system widespread, U.N. report says

Pyongyang urged to end system of compulsory state-allocated employment

17 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Economy

North Korea's Kim talks up economy amid closer Russia ties

Food shipments seen easing shortage as farming and China trade recover

3 July 2024
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un upon his arrival in Pyongyang on June 19.
International relations

Russia's Putin lands in North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un

Need for ammunition in Ukraine war seen as an impetus for first visit in 24 years

19 June 2024
From left, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. (Source photos by Uichiro Kasai and Reuters)
International relations

China, Japan and South Korea to navigate tensions at Seoul summit

First gathering in years aims to restore trilateral diplomacy as challenges mount

25 May 2024
The U.N. Security Council has been unable to pass any new resolutions against North Korea for over six years.
Datawatch

U.N. sanctions on North Korea have been losing their bite

Pyongyang has been boosting trade amid discord in the international community

24 March 2024
A seafood processor in Wenchang, Hainan province. The U.S. lawmakers urge the Biden administration to ban seafood imports from any of the Chinese companies that employ North Korean workers.
Trade

China seafood targeted by U.S. lawmakers over North Korean labor

Congress members warn sales could fund Pyongyang's nuclear program

13 March 2024
Trucks have resumed traveling between Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
N Korea at crossroads

China-North Korea truck traffic resumes in sign of reopening

Vehicles seen on Dandong-Sinuiju bridge as Pyongyang slowly lifts border shutdown

4 December 2023
The North Korean government has clamped down on food sales by private markets. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea struggles with food shortage despite import rebound

Conditions worsen as necessities languish, causing famine even in Pyongyang

13 July 2023
The Friendship Bridge and the Broken Bridge are illuminated at night over the Yalu River, which separates North Korea's Sinuiju from China, in Dandong
N Korea at crossroads

From wigs to seafood, North Korea scrambles for China trade

Exports return to pre-COVID levels, but new flare-up in Chinese infections poses risk

25 May 2023
 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a Workers' Party plenary session.  (Photo by KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea debates farm reform in sign of growing food shortage

Workers' Party holds plenary session just 2 months after previous one

28 February 2023
The Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge stretches over the Yalu River and normally serves as a major trade route between China and North Korea. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea and China reopen key trucking corridor after 2-year halt

Shortage-hit Pyongyang slowly lowers barriers to biggest trade partner

16 February 2023
China is set to announce on Tuesday GDP growth rates for the last quarter and the 2022 full year, along with other key economic data. In December it scrapped its zero-COVID strategy, which had weighed on growth.
Your Week in Asia

Davos 2023, China GDP, Chinese Lunar New Year starts

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

15 January 2023
Left, Kang Dong-wan collects trash from North Korea. (Photo courtesy of Kang Dong-wan) Right, a North Korean soldier stands in front of a pile of garbage near Sinuiju in 2009. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean trash offers window into its economy

South Korean scholar studies litter from the North for signs of change

10 January 2023
Vegetables and watermelons are sold at an outdoor market in the North Korean city of Hyesan during late July. The photo was taken from the Chinese city of Changbai. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean shortages put out the lights and shrink marketplaces

Observations from nearby Chinese city hint at misery since COVID border closures

10 August 2022
No masks are in sight as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un embraces veterans on July 28. The photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency, appears to be a message that coronavirus is no longer a concern in Pyongyang. (KCNA via Kyodo)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's triple economic woes stoke fears of 'silent' famine

COVID curbs and sanctions deepen Pyongyang's isolation from the world

7 August 2022
Trade across the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, pictured here on the Chinese side in Dandong, is vital to North Korea's isolated economy. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
N Korea at crossroads

Shortage-hit North Korea urges China to restart freight rail lifeline

Coronavirus restrictions loosened as country struggles to feed itself

20 July 2022